Time Ticks Forever Forward
by River of Light
Summary: Wen Ning doesn't know how it happened, exactly, but he suspects Wei WuXian had something to do with it. Regardless, he isn't going to let such a great chance slip past without him grabbing for it.
1. An Introduction

Wen Ning is tired. Not tired as in he wants to sleep but tired as in mentally. He's lived too long, feels too much like a rag soaked through and wrung out, has lost too many loved ones. Still, Wei WuXian still has need of him and he's nothing if not loyal. He will work himself in nonexistence to keep his Young Master and Hanguang-jun alive and safe. He's aware Wei WuXian would likely do the same no, particularly after he came back from the dead. He was unaware Wei WuXian would go to lengths such as these. Still, he will do the best he can manage.

The first time Wen Ning failed Wei WuXian, Jiang Yanli ended up dead. He had wanted to do anything he could to make it up to Wei WuXian, to somehow change what had happened. There was no time, and Wen Ning was forced from his Young Master's side.

The second time Wen Ning failed Wei WuXian, Wei WuXian himself had died. He had watched it, unable to do _anything_. He had been _useless_. A little kid playing at responsibility. Wei WuXian had stayed dead for 16 years, far too many in Wen Ning's opinion. Wei WuXian had made mistakes, yes, but he had been a good man, he had only wanted the best for his family and he had torn himself apart to get it.

Wen Ning is far less heroic. He was unable to make a difference when it truly counted, was unable to pledge himself holy and unhesitatingly after it was already too late. This time, however… this time would be different. He would do what he had to. He was prepared to give his flesh, blood, and soul to make sure those who had been wrong would not be so again.

He would do what he could and, hopefully, he would change things for the better.

* * *

**Please check out the poll on my profile! It'd be very helpful for me.**

**~River**


	2. Archery, Arrogance, and Annoyance

"Nice shot!" Wen Ning's eyes flicker over to Wei WuXian, just as surprised by his sudden appearance as he was the first time around. This time, at least, he didn't almost shoot the other boy. He carefully releases the tension from his bow, slipping the arrow easily back into his quiver.

"Ah, sorry for disturbing you! What's your name? You're a great archer!" Wei WuXian chatters, coming out from the brush and fully into the training field. Wen Ning gives a small smile. Even though he would rather throw himself at Wei WuXian's feet and beg for forgiveness, he has to hold himself back. Act like his old, shy self. It's.. annoying, to say the least. He just wants to change _everything_ now, before Wei WuXian can involve himself and get hurt, but he has to pace himself. He can't show his hand too early, or he'll ruin everything. A lot is on the line and he can't risk any of it.

"...Wen Ning of the Wen sect, courtesy name Wen Qionglin… What's your name?" Wei WuXian grins, sauntering closer. He has to bite his cheek to stop from saying or doing something stupid, averting his eyes to the bow in his hand. Getting back into archery after so long had been an amazing feeling and he is oh so willing to completely submerge himself in the memories of those feelings instead of the intense feelings of guilt and sadness he gets from Wei WuXian.

"'M Wei Ying of the Jiang sect, courtesy name Wei WuXian. Could you perhaps tell me where the entrance to the, ah, archery field is?" Wen Ning points, just as he had last time, and looks up just in time to catch the tail end of one of Wei WuXian's brilliant grins.

"Thanks for your help!" Wei WuXian chirps. With the slightest bow, the other boy disappears back into the brush. Wen Ning blinks, staring blankly at the spot Wei WuXian had inhabited a moment ago, just as flabbergasted by the interaction as he was the last time. Wei WuXian is much like a whirlwind, Wen Ning learned, and you simply have to let him do his thing or you'll get dragged in and torn up. A bit melodramatic, maybe, but it certainly fits his Young Master.

Wen Ning pushes the thoughts away and walks over to the target, collecting his arrows. None of them are at all broken but they are a bit duller. Not that it makes too much of a difference, they're plenty dangerous either way. He returns them to his quiver before following after Wei WuXian. When he enters the gathering area, he makes sure to stick to the shadows to escape Wen Chao's notice. He had entered much the same way last time around. It works just as well the second time since Wen Chao is just as oblivious as a rock. Probably more so. He joins the line of Wen participants easily, his eyes roaming the other lines. He finds the Lan sect's Two Jades quickly. They're both distinctive in their own way and it's easy to pick up on if you're looking for it. He finds Jiang WanYin and Wei WuXian, smiling slightly when he sees them talking quietly and friendly-like. He meets Jin ZiXuan's eyes across the way by accident. The peacock, as Wei WuXian had often referred to him, narrows his eyes and sneers. Wen Ning just lets his gaze drop, turning in time with the rest of his line to go to the competition area.

"Hold on!" Wen Chao snaps, bringing the Wen line to a halt. Wen Ning stiffens automatically before he forces himself to relax. The Wen Chao of this time has no reason to suspect him of treason, of helping the enemy. They are in peacetime, and from the same sect. He really has to just _relax_.

"Who's that, at the back of the line?!" Wen Ning hesitates slightly, debating with himself for half a second, before he finally turns to Wen Chao. Enemy or not, Wen Chao is technically his superior, and won't hesitate to punish him. A manservant tells Wen Chao his identity. This, he remembers. It had led to one of the many embarrassments of his life when he was younger.

"Eh, Wen Ning! What is he doing here? He's just a distant relative," Wen Chao says disdainfully. Wen Ning doesn't even blink at his tone, used to people threatening him by now. Few are as terrifying as an angry Jiang WanYin, anyways.

"Can he even draw the bow?" That- oh, that sends a shock of anger through him. Archery had been one of the few reprieves in his life and here Wen Chao was, mocking him for it. The emotion is vibrant, almost taking him by surprise. The years as a mostly apathetic dead-man-walking had certainly taken their toll. Wei WuXian's voice is what draws him back to the present.

"Who says he can't draw the bow?" Wen Ning's lip twitches, torn between amazement at Wei WuXian's pure kindness and amusement at his lackadaisical tone. Only he would talk to Wen Chao like that, especially since the Wens are currently his hosts.

"His archery seemed better than most," Wei WuXian drawls, a clear challenge. And so, the changes have begun.

"You must be Wei WuXian," Wen Chao sneers, rising to the challenge with a vengeance, "I hear your archery is decent." That's a _vast_ understatement, but whatever. He's not stepping between these two.

"Decent enough to be included in the competition." Ooh, that was underhanded. Underhanded enough to stay just this side of insulting. Wen Chao ruffles even more, looking like he'd like nothing more than to see an arrow sticking out from Wei WuXian's forehead.

"Wen Ning," Wen Chao says harshly evidently unable to come up with a suitable comeback in time. "He said you can shoot. Let's see what we got." Wen Ning ducks his head in a shy manner, averting his eyes. A grin curls the corner of his mouth unbidden and he struggles to train his expression into something his old self would have shown before anyone sees. Wen Ning is ushered over to a few practice targets, and stationed in front of one a decent distance away. His bow makes it into his hands without his help (was it _Wei WuXian_ that shoved it into his hands?) and so he knocks an arrow without a word. Wen Chao and a few others stand a ways away, and Wei WuXian and Jiang WanYin stand off to the side. The people watching him are significantly less nerve-wracking this time around- being the Ghost General wasn't exactly subtle, after all, and he got used to it. He takes in a calming breath, aims, and pulls the bow back. He exhales and the arrow soars, landing dead center. Now he just has to make sure none of them ever know that he had been imagining that he was shooting Wen Chao.

"Great shot!" Wei WuXian cheers. Wen Ning offers him a small smile. Wen Chao scoffs but Wen Ning's abilities have already been proven. He's going to compete, this time. Maybe the Wen sect won't lose as horribly and they'll postpone their campaign to take over the entire world for a little bit because they won't be so bitter. Unlikely but, hey, a time-traveling, formerly undead man can hope.

"Alright, alright," Jiang WanYin grumbles. "Let's get to the field." The boy drags Wei WuXian away, looking about as exasperated as a person could get. Wen Ning watches them for a moment before turning to Wen Chao with a respectful bow.

"May I join the competition?" He asks softly. Wen Chao snorts, waving him off.

"Yeah, whatever. But don't embarrass the Wen sect!" Wen Ning bows again, already sick of this, and quickly follows after the two Jiang sect disciples. He rejoins his sect's disciples as quickly as he could while also trying to get another look at HanGuang-Jun. Or= just Lan WangJi, he supposes, since the Sunshot Campaign has yet to earn him that name. He would like to get closer to Lan WangJi than he had been originally, in hopes that he could make his path a little easier to walk, as well. Or at least to have another ally floating about.

The competition is nothing to scoff at, certainly, and neither are the skills of some of the competitors. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi, of course, stood out for their skill with a bow but Jiang WanYin and Jin ZiXuan are also very good archers and then there's Wen Ning himself, of course. He's rusty, sort of, the time travel makes everything a bit odd, so he certainly could beat Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi but he did seem to be besting Jin ZiXuan. At least, as far as he can tell when he only has a handful of encounters with the four of them in all. He had, at one point, shot at an evil spirit and nearly hit Jin ZiXuan when he decided _right then_ was a perfect time to move to the right. It was only a serious bit of luck that kept blood from being drawn. The completely flabbergasted expression that graced the other boy's face, however, was nearly worth it. That wasn't why he wanted to join the competition, though, it was just a nice bonus. This, the scene that he just stumbled across. He missed the actual scene itself in both timelines- had heard about it years later in the original timeline -but this time, he caught it just in time to see Lan WangJi storm off. Now, of course, it's his turn.

He tracks Lan WangJi for a while, shooting at any stray spirits he spots before Lan WangJi. Finally, Wen Ning screws up his courage and leaps down from his hiding spot, landing lightly and agilely in front of Lan WangJi. The look the boy gives him is downright terrifying but he stands his ground.

"Hello Lan WangJi," He greets politely.

Lan WangJi visibly holds himself back from snapping, biting out a cold, "excuse me," instead.

"Ah, before you go, might I ask you something? It's not anything too personal, I'm just curious." Wen Ning pushes, refusing to move from Lan WangJi's path just yet. He's curious, after all, and determined enough to get these two idiots together _before_ Wei WuXian dies for 16 years. Not that he's planning to let Wei WuXian die again but his point stands.

"...What is it?" Now, the best plan would be to go with subtlety but, on the other hand, this boy fell for _Wei WuXian_ and the Yiling Patriarch isn't exactly known for his subtlety. He can handle a bit of bluntness. After all, Wen Ning is aware of how long Lan WangJi has been pining after Wei WuXian. How he came across this information is another story entirely that Wen Ning prefers not to think about.

"Why don't you tell Wei WuXian how you feel?" Wen Ning asks, injecting just the right amount of innocence in his voice to keep Lan WangJi from murdering him. Hopefully. He's looking rather murder-y. "It's just, my sister said you should always be truthful about your feelings toward, um, _friends_ and I thought there was a rule against lying in Cloud Recess so I- ah…" He trails off, staring dejectedly at the ground. God, if the Wei WuXian of his time knew he did this, he'd never hear the end of it. Using his sister to make someone accept and pronounce their feelings has got to be the height of ironic comedy. Lan WangJi, on the other hand, seems intent on ignoring what Wen Ning just said.

"Excuse me," He says instead, significantly colder than he was a moment ago, which is impressive on its own. Wen Ning steps out of the way this time, watching Lan WangJi. While he didn't get far in his questioning, it'll hopefully push Lan WangJi into doing something. He has quite a while anyway- Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian will return and then there'll be a few hunts before the sect disciples have to face off with the Xuanyu of Slaughter. He probably can't do anything about the Xuanyu… beyond maybe rescuing Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi a little bit earlier so neither of them get to such a bad state and so he has time to force the pair to _do something_ about their blatant cut-sleeve-ness. Or, well, Wei WuXian is blatant. Lan WangJi wasn't blatant until Wei WuXian got brought back from the dead.

He sighs. It's going to be a long few years. He turns his attention back to the competition, all too aware of the time he's wasted on this.

* * *

"The archery championship of this year goes to Wei WuXian, of the Jiang Sect." The Jiang disciples cheer excitedly, all of them rushing over to congratulate. Even Jiang WanYin smiles proudly, instead of acting jealous or insulted like Wen Ning had expected. He's got to remember; Jiang WanYin and Wei WuXian are still as close as blood brothers, their relationship has not yet bowed and broken under the stress of war and misunderstanding.

"Close behind is Lan Xichen, of the Lan Sect. Third place goes to Wen Ning of the Wen Sect and Jin ZiXuan of the Jin Sect, who tied." Wei WuXian whistles, throwing a grin to Wen Ning. He himself is quite proud that he had managed to rank, even against archers as good as the ones gathered. It feels nice to have his talent recognized by someone other than Wei WuXian and Wen Qing.

"Fourth place goes to Lan WangJi of the Lan Sect." This will always be _impressive_. That Lan WangJi managed to place so high even after abandoning the competition half way through… it speaks of skill. A terrifying amount of skill. Lan WangJi, at this point, is perhaps even a better archer than Wei WuXian.

Fifth place belongs to Nie AieRou, of the Nie Sect." As soon as the announcer finishes, Wen Ning slips through the crowd towards his young master. Wei WuXian spots him moving through the crowd, waving his hand. Wen Ning finally makes it to Wei WuXian's side, smiling slightly.

"Congratulations on ranking third, Wen Ning!" Wei WuXian says before Wen Ning can get anything out. "Though I wish you could have beat out that peacock."

"Ah, thank you. Congratulations on taking the championship," Wen Ning returns, giving a respectful bow to Jiang WanYin, Wei WuXian, and the Jiang sect disciple near them that Wen Ning doesn't know. The trio copy him. He turns his attention mostly to Jiang WanYin.

"I'm Wen Ning, courtesy name Wen Qionglin, of the Wen Sect."

"Jiang WanYin, courtesy name WanYin, Jiang sect," Jiang WanYin says shortly. The other disciple also introduces himself but Wen Ning must admit he didn't pay enough attention to catch the name the boy gave. He glances away for a moment, catching Wen Chao sneering at them from across the way.

"I- uh… I should probably get going," he says regretfully. "Have safe travels. I would invite you back but… I don't think you or Wen Chao would appreciate that." Wei WuXian grins and a smile is drawn from Wen Ning almost immediately in response.

"You should come to visit Yunmeng sometime! It's great, so long as Jiang WanYin isn't ruining our fun." Jiang WanYin makes a noise that sounds insulted and resigned at the same time, digging his elbow into his adopted brother's side. Wei WuXian whines and the two devolve into unintelligible squabbling. Wen Ning smiles fondly at his young master, his heart tightening at the easy laughter exchanged among the two. This. This is what he's here for. A chance to keep this laughter, this uninhibited happiness, alive.

* * *

**Please check out the poll on my profile! It'd be very helpful for me.**

**~River**


	3. Calm Before The Storm, Part 1

Wen Ning watches his sister methodically make medicine, his bow resting in his lap. Wen Qing is ignoring him valiantly but he knows it won't be long until she caves. She always had, even if she acted tough. She's even kinder to him now, after he time traveled, even though she is harsher in some areas. He knows his change in personality, however slight it was, had unnerved her. Yet he also knew she was happy for it. Happy he was finally sticking up for himself and taking pride in himself. He could imagine her disappointment if she knew that he was like this because of Wei WuXian, not because of anything on his part. Finally, Wen Qing sighs and puts her mortar and pestle down. She turns to face him, looking quite resigned. Wen Ning gives her a small, sweet smile, just to drive the nail in the coffin. He's got to convince her, after all.

"What is it?" She asks.

"May we go to Yunmeng?" He pleads, giving his best puppy face. When she doesn't say anything right away, he tacks on, "_please_, A-Qing?" He sees her cave, even though she tries to pretend she hasn't.

"S-" She cuts herself off, clearly trying to come up with an excuse. Wen Ning, however, had prepared. He knows that, before the Sunshot Campaign and the Wen Sect's reign of terror, she had been given liberal free-range. She could go anywhere and, as a result, bring Wen Ning anywhere. As long as she still fulfilled her duties as a healer, of course, but she would never be able to suppress that aspect of herself. She's certainly a healer, through and through.

"...Why do you want to go?" Wen Qing finally grouses out.

"Well, Wei WuXian and Jiang WanYin-" mostly Wei WuXian but Jiang WanYin hadn't exactly shot his young master's offer down so it counts in his book, "-invited me to Lotus Pier, to come whenever I could. I wouldn't want to disappoint them or- or accidently insult them or anything just my not ever showing up…"

"Alright, alright," Wen Qing agrees, "you've convinced me. No need to continue pulling excuses from thin air.

"We'll go to Lotus Pier."

* * *

It took them five days in total to actually pack and get Wen RouHan's permission and then they were on the road, mostly free from responsibility for however long they're gone. It's nice to get away. Being on the road alone is enough for Wen Ning to relax into acting like a semi-normal person. When he's once more by Wei WuXian's side, he can only assume his anxiety will release him entirely. Being with his young master, making sure the idiot is safe and happy, gives him a breath of relief. Wei WuXian has done so much for him and Wen Qing- will do so much. It's almost daunting, how much he owes to the famous Yiling Patriarch.

Wen Ning is determined to make it up. He'll do this, of course, by making it so that he doesn't owe Wei WuXian anything. In other words, he's going to (hopefully) rewrite history so much that the things he owes Wei WuXian never happen. This will result in a happier life for everyone (again, hopefully) and likely a better friendship between Wei WuXian and himself, unburdened by things like one of them being undead and the other being the summoner of the first.

Keeping Wen Qing and helping her find her own happiness is also at the top of his list, of course, followed closley by keeping Jin ZiXuan and Jiang YanLi alive long enough to raise their son. He owes Jin Ling that much, at least. Keeping Jiang WanYin's original golden core is somewhere on the list, of course, but if he fails at that the only thing he needs to do is help Wei WuXian keep control of his resentment energy. Simple. Well, probably not. But he can hope.

He has other plans, so many that they make his head spin, make him shrink into each other with queasiness at the thought of just how hard this is going to be. The amount of lives he's going to affect, directly or indirectly, is staggering.

Still, all of that can wait. Until the Wen sect does something, he can only focus on smaller things. Ang he's going to cling to these peaceful times with Wen Qing, with Wei WuXian, even with Jiang WanYin, like he's possessed.

* * *

**I'm gonna keep doing this until enough people take my poll or I write something that is inarguably ship-y. So, take my poll! Please! It's on my profile, for those that were unaware.**

**~River**


	4. Calm Before The Storm, Part 2

"Wen Ning!" The voice is faint and Wen Ning blinks in surprise as he looks up from his lesson with Wen Qing. The boat they boarded is much closer to the shore that he expected. Close enough for him to see the people going about their day, at least. He scans the shore line, smiling when he catches sight of Wei WuXian, some bag in hand. Jiang WanYin is beside him, talking to a random passerby.

"Who is it, A-Ning?" Wen Ning turns back to his sister.

"Wei WuXian. Jiang WanYin is also there, but he seems busy." Wen Ning explains. Wen Qing hums, watching him with an expression he can't hope to identify. Finally, she sighs and starts collecting her herbs and medicines to put them away.

"We aren't going to get anything done with you like this," Wen Qing says to his unasked question. Wen Ning smiles and starts to help her.

"Thank you A-Qing."

"Hm."

* * *

Wen Ning swallows his fear and anxiety, struggling to keep himself from hiding behind Wei WuXian. He hadn't wanted this to happen. He didn't think it was possible. Now, he sees the error in his way. This is the most terrifying thing he's ever witnessed and he's witnessed a lot of twisted stuff in his years as the Ghost General. This, however… this is the worst thing he's ever experienced.

Wen Qing and Madam Yu… are _friends_. No one else seems to realize just how world-ending this is. Someone is going to die because of this friendship. Wen Ning doesn't know when and he doesn't know how but he has a feeling it's going to be someone in this room. It's probably not going to be him or Jiang WanYin but that still leaves the Jiang Sect Leader and Wei WuXian.

As much as he wants Wei WuXian's life to be better this time around, he's not getting between these two absolutely terrifying women and their target.

"You look a bit pale, Wen Ning." Wei WuXian muses quietly.

"I don't think- _I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation_," Wen Ning hisses back. It's the least respectful he's been towards Wei WuXian ever but that doesn't matter right now.

"What, just because your sister and Madam Yu get along?" His young master says incredulously. He nods, because he doesn't want to catch the women's attentions. He sees Wei WuXian smother a grin, clearly not understanding his panic. Oh well, he'll learn eventually. Hopefully sooner than later so that he doesn't enact their combined wrath.

* * *

Wei WuXian ducks into his room, looking like he just witnessed a murder. His young master stumbles over to him, grabs him by the shoulder, and stares straight into his eyes.

"You were right. You were right and I'm sorry for _ever_ doubting you. They are _horrifying_."

* * *

They still haven't convinced Jiang WanYin but Sect Leader FengMian understands their fear. Shares it, even. Of course, he can't hide from the pair like Wen Ning and Wei WuXian can. Wen Ning pities him but he's grateful for the sect leader's noble sacrifice.

"So," Wei WuXian says suddenly, breaking the peaceful quiet that had settled over Wen Ning's guest room. "How long until you and your sister leave?" Wen Ning hums, putting down his book to focus fully on his young master.

"It… won't be too long, I don't think. We have to get back before Sect Leader RouHan gets impatient. A-Qing is his best healer, after all."

"And you're clearly his best archer," Wei WuXian adds before sighing. "While I don't mind Madam Yu and your sister being forcibly separated by several miles, I'll miss you." Wen Ning flushes, his eyes skittering to the floor. Wei WuXian laughs.

"Ah come on, we're friends. Of course I'll miss you!" Wen Ning smiles slightly but can't get himself to actually look at Wei WuXian. He's tempted to take a page from Lan WangJi's book and just mumble a 'shameless' back but he feels that would somehow be an insult to Lan WangJi.

"Then… I'm invited back?" He asks quietly, staring intently at his book.

"Of course! And… so is your sister, if she has to. I'd prefer if she and Madam Yu were never together again, though." Wen Ning laughs and agrees. They certainly are a terrifying combination.


	5. Calm Before The Storm, Part 3

Wen Ning stares blankly at the book in his hands. He's not reading, he can't. This is mostly because he can't believe he forgot about the _burning of Cloud Recesses_, of all things. That had been a big part of the Wen Sect's rise to power. He has no idea how he's going to change that. He has no power in the Wen Sect and he can't have his sister risking any of her power in the sect for this. His sister has to stay on Wen RouHan's good side so that she stays safe. He could go to Cloud Recesses in disguise and warn them… but, no, then they'd want to know where he got the information and he can't exactly tell them he had time traveled and so they'd be suspicious of him and probably wouldn't trust him. He could help them fight off the Wen disciples but then there's the chance a stray disciple would recognize him and that would put A-Qing in danger, which he can't have.

He knows he can't change everything but it's one thing knowing it and another being confronted with it. He drops his head into his hands, biting his lip as he ignores the burning in his eyes. He has to be strong. He has to or everything might just fall apart. Everything rests on him- he can't fail- he can't make a mistake- he _can't- everyone-_

_He can't do this._

* * *

"A-Ning? A-Ning!" Wen Ning blinks sluggishly, his breath shuddering. That… that was Wen Qing. Why does she sound so panicked? What's going on? What's happening? Hands grab at his arms, pulling him securely into his sister's lap. Was… Wen Qing worried about him? Wen Ning lifts his head, curious in an absent sort of way. He meets her eyes and freezes when he sees the tears streaming down her face.

"jiě jie? Why… Why are you crying?" He asks quietly. Wen Qing brings up a hand to cup his face, biting her lip in a nervous gesture they both adopted.

"Why are you crying? A-Ning, why are you _bleeding_?" There's a desperate quality to Wen Qing's voice that he hasn't heard since they were little. Wen Ning looks down, his eyes drawn automatically to the cuts and scratches littering his arms. How did that happen?

Oh… yeah. He had been stupid.

"It was a mistake," Wen Ning says firmly, if quietly. It had been. He had gotten too emotional and his spiritual energy had responded. Violently. Wen Ning turns his eyes back up to meet Wen Qing's eyes.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you." Wen Qing's expression tightens around the edges and she lets her arms drop to pull Wen Ning even closer.

"Please, _please_, A-Ning, take care of yourself." Wen Ning stays quiet. He can't make a promise that he can't keep. He just pulls Wen Qing closer and buries his face into her shoulder like they're just two children, alone in the world.


	6. Calm Before The Storm, Part 4

Wen Ning is, admittedly, very unsure about what's happening. He doesn't know why he's here at all- he's not exactly well liked by the Wen Sect. He doesn't know why he got stuck taking care of a _very_ drunk Wen Chao. All he knows is that Wen Chao was shoved practically into his arms with the order that he keeps the boy from doing anything stupid. He's pretty sure Wen Xu and Wen Qing are laughing at him from across the room but he's ignoring that religiously.

"Go 'way," Wen Chao slurs, glowering at him. Wen Ning hesitates, watching as Wen Chao fills yet another bowl with alcohol.

"U-um, I've been ordered to look after you," he explains, his eyes flicking around in the hopes of catching sight of one of Wen Chao's personal guard. There's none around, which is just terrible.

"So? 'M ord'ring you to leave m' be," Wen Chao grouses. He downs his bowl and tips the bottle to pour himself some more but nothing comes out. Wen Chao glares up at Wen Ning like it's his fault, putting the bottle back down with a loud crack.

"Get more alc'hol," Wen Chao orders. Wen Ning shakes his head.

"No." The easiest way to get out of this situation is to stop Wen Chao from being drunk. That means no more alcohol. That _also_ means purging Wen Chao's system with a good dose of spiritual energy and that's going to be significantly harder than just keeping the other boy away from the drinks. Wen Chao gives him a dirty look and stumbles to his feet on a mission to procure some more alcohol. This was solved, for the moment, by standing up and directing Wen Chao towards the other side of the room. Thankfully the boy was too drunk to call him out on his simple trick.

Even drunk out of his mind, Wen Chao is a fervent womanizer.

* * *

"Why is Wen Chao passed out in your room?"

"Wen Xu never took him back and I had nowhere else to put him."

"...clearly."

"Don't judge me, please, I'm doing my best."

* * *

Neither Wen Qing nor Wen Ning look up when their guest stumbles out from his room. They're in the middle of the very precise art of making medicine, after all. Wen Qing does mutter a greeting, however. Wen Ning looks up for just long enough to see Wen Chao's eyes focus in on Wen Qing and to see the smirk spread across his lips.

"You slept in my room," Wen Ning says, seemingly at random. The cut-off screech and choking sound from Wen Chao was worth the look from his sister.


	7. Calm Before The Storm, Part 5

Wen Ning is in Yunmeng once more. This time without his sister, since Wen ZhuLiu had gotten hurt again when Wen Chao did something stupid. Wei WuXian and Jiang WanYin hadn't been conveniently at the dock when he arrived this time so he's exploring the city instead of heading directly to the Jiang Sect compound. The people on the streets are kind, often giving out greetings even to him. He always returns them, of course, but it does make him feel a bit awkward and out of place. The atmosphere of the city is certainly very different than the Nightless City.

"Ah- hey! Wen disciple!" Wen Ning blinks, looking up to scan the crowd. A Jiang sect disciple waves at him, jogging closer.

"You're Shixiong's friend, aren't you?" The boy asks, "Are you lost? I can bring you to Wei Ying if you'd like."

"Oh, um… yeah, that'd be nice. I think I'm done exploring." The disciple grins at him.

"I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Jiang Shu,courtesy name JingLian." The disciple dips a bit, "any friend of Wei Ying's is a friend of mine. If you're comfortable with it, please call me Jiang Shu." Wen Ning's eyes widen.

"Ah, no, I couldn't! It'd be so disrespectful-" Jiang JingLian cuts him off with an amused snort.

"This is the home of Wei Ying- do you really think any of us disciples care for respect?" Wen Ning's lips twitch into a smile at that. For people who are friends with his young master, he's not sure how he expected anything different.

"No," he agrees. "I suppose not."

* * *

"Oh! I see you've met Jiang Shu! You two get along alright?" Wei WuXian says, grinning at them from his perch. By perch, Wen Ning of course means collapsed half on top of Jiang WanYin. He ignores that fact- because otherwise he'd probably laugh at Jiang WanYin's expression and the smug way Wei WuXian hangs off his adopted brother -and nods.

"Jiang Shu lead me to your compound after I got lost in the city," he explains. Wei WuXian's expression slides neatly into a pout.

"Awe come on- you call him by his given name, why won't you call me by mine?" Wei WuXian huffs.

"Oh stop whining," Jiang WanYin says before Wen Ning can get an acceptable excuse out. "You're lucky he's friends with you at all."

"You're clearly just jealous that I've got such a good friend and you don't," Wei WuXian shoots back.

"Why would I ever be jealous of _you_?"

"Well… I am cuter~"

"You-!"

* * *

"Hey, Wen Ning, you wanna come on a night hunt with Jiang Cheng and me?" Wei WuXian asks suddenly, stopping half way through knocking another arrow. Wen Ning stops as well, his hand tightening around the arrow he had been sharpening.

"A night hunt?" He prods. Wei WuXian hums.

"Yeah. It won't be that long, a few days to a week," The other boy explains, replacing his arrow in his quiver, "I thought you might want to get out of Yunmeng for a bit and do something interesting." Wen Ning suspects that's more Wei WuXian's own preferences talking but oh well.

"If you would like," he agrees. Wei WuXian grins brightly and he offers a smile in return.

* * *

Wen Ning stares at the sword that had been shoved into his hands, uncertain. He's never practiced with a sword, he's generally using a bow or, after his death and capture, chains. Melee was also a popular option, once he didn't have to worry about being killed. Still, it would be rude not to accept the sword graciously lended to him. He sighs quietly and straps the sword to his waist. He'll just stay closer to the back, where he can use his bow and arrows.

…

Wei WuXian refuses to let him linger near the back. He's dragged to the front to be with his young master, Jiang WanYin, and Jiang Shu, who gives him a kind smile. He returns a significantly more anxious version. Then he turns his attention back to convincing Wei WuXian to let him lag behind. It's not working very well.

"Just give it up, Wen. I can assure you, Wei Ying is more stubborn than you are," Jiang WanYin cuts in, "now shut up, both of you. We're supposed to be hunting." Wei WuXian smirks at him, clearly smug that Jiang WanYin had supported him, however irritatedly.

"Don't worry," Jiang Shu whispers, "I'll protect you." Wen Ning glances at the other disciple and is met with an amused grin. Wen Ning huffs, raising his bow slightly.

"I prefer the bow to the sword," he explains quietly. Jiang Shu nods understandingly. Then, to Wen Ning's utter surprise, begins to unsheathe knives and daggers from _everywhere_.

"Personally, I like daggers," he says cheekily.

"JingLian," Jiang WanYin hisses, sending the two of them a look around his adopted brother, "quiet!" Wei WuXian nudges Wen Ning with a shoulder.

"Don't mind Jiang Cheng, he's just grumpy," Wei WuXian says with hardly a sound. Wen Ning hums, accepting the words easily. As a Sect Leader, Jiang WanYin had been known for his temper, when it showed itself. Wen Ning himself isn't a stranger to his anger. Anyway, it's hardly the worst thing he's experienced. That would probably go to, y'know, _dying_.

* * *

They're hunting a ghost. The ghost of a girl around his physical age who had been murdered brutally. This would be fine but for the fact that the ghost is currently the only thing keeping a significantly more dangerous ghost occupied. She had been leading both the cultivators nd her murder's ghost around, keeping them carefully separate from each other. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on the cultivators having a formerly undead general who is still extraordinarily sensitive to Resentful Energy. Now he's stuck, alone, with two ghosts, one of which definitely wants to kill him and the other of which is hiding behind a tree. This is going to be difficult, to say the least. Especially if he wants to keep from alerting the Jiang Sect disciples.

"Hello, baby cultivator," the evil spirit purrs. A shiver runs down Wen Ning's back but he doesn't back down.

"You've caused a lot of harm," he says. His hand brushes against the sword handle at his hip as a sort of warning. The ghost, likely a former cultivator by his wear, snorts.

"And? What do I care?" Wen Ning sighs. He had been hoping to do this peacefully. The ghost grins, reminding Wen Ning uncomfortably of Wei WuXian after he returned from the Burial Mounds. The ghost lunges and he responds, drawing the sword in a swift motion. He manages to dodge but the sword is somehow ripped from his grasp and tossed into a nearby tree.

"Well," the ghost says in amusement. "You certainly aren't a swordsman." Wen Ning's lips twist into a wry smile.

"I must admit that I've hardly had any training when it comes to swordsmanship." He agrees, retreating a few steps. The ghost snorts, moving swiftly. He dodges to the side with a roll, intent on getting closer to the sword. Unfortunately, the ghost stays determinedly between him and his weapon.

* * *

He forgets, for a moment, when he is. His moves like he's fighting with his chains. He barely blinks when chains shoot from his sleeves as if they had been there the entire time.

When the fight is over, when he regains himself, he stares at his hands, oh so confused. When he turns and sees Wei WuXian, watching with an odd expression, he silently curses his luck. The rest of the disciples found them before either could say anything. The weird atmospheres shatters and Wei WuXian returns to normal… mostly. He still gives Wen Ning curious looks every now and then.

He has a feeling that this is going to end up very badly for him. Or at least be particularly annoying.


	8. Firelight

Wen Ning follows when a patrol is sent out to go to Cloud Recesses. This, here, is the beginning of the end for the Wen Sect, whether they realize it or not. He follows behind the patrol for several days, making sure to keep his Qi suppressed and to keep his disguise on. He had originally wanted to stay out, to reduce the risk to himself and to his sister, but he found he couldn't just stand by. He'll use Resentful Energy instead of Spiritual Energy, if he has to.

When the patrol is closer to Cloud Recesses, a few hours out, perhaps, he goes ahead. He passes around the patrol, pushing himself to get to Cloud Recesses as fast as possible. Not that he can get in, he's brought to a standstill by the wards and the guards stationed at the gate.

"What are you doing here?" One guard asks. Wen Ning bows respectfully to them both.

"I would like to speak Lan XiChen or Lan WangJi. It is of great import." He explains carefully. He can't give away his identity, even if it's likely Lan WangJi will recognize him. With any luck, the boy will be too distracted with the news he brings to question him too in depth. The guards regard him for a moment before one sighs.

"Might as well, it's not like you could defeat either of them in a fight," one finally says. He disappears up the path to Cloud Recesses and Wen Ning settles down to wait. Or, well. 'Settles down' might not be the way to describe it since he's pacing back and forth so anxiously that he feels like his heart is going to give out on him. The wait is longer than he would have liked but Wen Ning had given himself plenty of extra time. Even so, when he sees the Twin Jades, accompanied by the guard, he can hardly hold himself back in any sort of polite manner. He sees the recognition in Lan WangJi's eyes, sees the way he sort of closes off, sees the way he starts to identify Wen Ning.

"The Wen Sect is coming to burn down Cloud Recesses," he blurts, partially to keep Lan WangJi from saying his name and mostly because he simply couldn't hold back a moment longer. The guards and Lan WangJi all tense, suspicion clear in all of them, even the normally unreadable Lan WangJi. Lan XiChen, however, stays calm.

"And where did you come upon this information?" He prods. Wen Ning bites his lip, watching Lan XiChen. He doesn't rush Wen Ning and Lan WangJi says nothing, both of which he appreciates.

"I'm a disciple of the Wen Sect," he bites out finally, "and I came across the plan by accident. They'll be here in a few hours, I just- I couldn't just stand by and let it happen." He's panicking. He knows that with his current cultivation, even if he is mentally older than the four of them, he could not fight them off if they chose not to believe him.

"Alright," Lan XiChen says easily, "what else do you know?" Wen Ning is shocked into silence. He had hoped it wouldn't be overly difficult but this… this was _too_ easy.

"You- you believe me?" He says, dumbfounded. Lan XiChen smiles.

"We'll find out if you're lying or not soon enough. And anyway, it's good to be prepared for any eventuality." Wen Ning hesitates, his brow furrowing. While Lan XiChen's words do make sense, he still seems to have accepted what Wen Ning said too easily.

"Would you be willing to enter Cloud Recesses?" Lan XiChen asks after a moment of too-long silence from Wen Ning.

"I-" Wen Ning stops, biting his lip again. He had been prepared to throw out a random excuse- he can't fight other Wen Sect disciples. If they don't see through his disguise, they'll recognize his fighting style. However, he also remembered that Cloud Recessess' secret library is where Meng Yao, Jing Guangyao, found the song he used to kill Nie MingJue. If he could get a hold of that, he'll have hit two birds with one stone. Anyway, staying might make him more believable.

"I suppose…" He agrees slowly. LAn XiChen offers a slight smile.

"Come on, then. We have much to talk about and not enough time to prepare adequately."

* * *

"Your name?"

"…I would prefer not to say, in order to limit the danger to my friends and family."

"That's entirely fine. Can you go over what you told me again?"

"I am a Wen Sect disciple. While in the Nightless City, I accidentally found out about the plans to burn Cloud Recesses. I beat the patrol here to warn you but we don't have that much time."

"Why did you warn us in the first place?"

"I… What the Wen Sect plans on doing is wrong and… I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

* * *

Wen Ning watches Lan WangJi as he speaks with Lan Qiren. Lan XiChen had been entirely too easy to convince. It makes him suspicious. He's not entirely sure what he's suspicious of but that doesn't make him any less so. Lan WangJi obstructs his vision and he blinks, refocusing on the younger brother.

"hello Lan WangJi. It's nice to see you again," he greets politely. Lan WangJi nods as he takes a seat.

"Your name." Lan WangJi presses. Wen Ning is surprised for a moment before he remembers that he had never actually introduced himself to Lan WangJi and the other boy hadn't stayed long enough to hear his name announced. He shakes his head, offering an apologetic smile.

"Not until the animosity between our sects settle down," he denies. "I need to keep my sister safe from any harmful decisions I make."

"Hn." The two fall into a peaceful quiet. Wen Ning messes with his sleeves, ignoring the other boy's gaze watching him intently. To be fair, if he didn't have knowledge of the future and was in Lan WangJi's position, he'd also be fairly suspicious and wary.

"Ah- Lan WangJi," he says suddenly, thinking of something. "Have you thought more on what I said last we spoke?" Lan WangJi's gaze darkens but Wen Ning is sure he isn't imaging the red glow on the tips of his ears.

"Ridiculous." Lan WangJi bites out. Wen Ning merely smiles, tilting his head as a silent acceptance. Not that he believes Lan WangJi for one moment but he'll keep that to himself.

* * *

The Wen Disciples have arrived when he said they would. The tension in the air is almost palpable. Many of the younger GusuLan Sects were forced to hide, in order to ensure their survival. Wen Ning himself had been offered the option of escape. He had declined for one simple reason: he still needs to get his hands on the book that caused Nie MingJue's death. The chaos of the coming battle will hopefully be the perfect time to swipe it.

Lan XiChen had given him a sword in case he had need of it. He still doesn't particularly like swords but those he know are apparently intent on lending him them until he gets one of his own.

...Maybe he should get a sword.

...Nah, he'll be fine.

* * *

He was not fine. Mostly because he couldn't get to the library. Also he can't actually fight very well since he needs to keep his Qi suppressed or risk getting found out by the Wens. Sometimes, he really hates his luck.

At the moment, he's hiding out in a random classroom, watching and listening to the chaos outside. He should have left when he had the chance instead of trying to be a hero. That stupid book won't even become a problem for a few more years. Although he should get around to visiting the Nies sometime soon, to deal with Meng Yao before he becomes a problem.

Has Meng Yao even joined his father yet? …A better option might be to kill Jin GuangShan before the man can give his son the orders that resulted in the mess name Jin GuangYao.

There's a sound from outside the classroom and Wen Ning tenses, slipping back to press against the wall. If they do a quick check or continue walking, he'll be ok. If they do any more than that, he'll be in trouble. Thankfully, the person keeps moving, hardly pausing at the entrance to the classroom.

He wishes he could do more for the people of GusuLan but he can't fight his own sect. It's less about loyalty and more about where he needs to be to change things but his point stands.

Of course, someone seems to have lit the building he's in on fire while he was distracted. He moves away from the quickly heating wall and stares at the window across from him. Through the probably on fire entrance or through the window. Some beautiful choices, really. He moves closer to the window, peering out carefully.

* * *

He hates morals. Specifically his morals. Also, his luck is really quite amazing. He just so happened to look out the window right when a trio of Wens were chasing down a young Lan disciple that must have secretly stayed. Now, because of his stupid morals and his stupid luck, he's got three Wen disciples tied up with the weird spirit chains that followed him to the past, carefully turned away from the discples. The Lan disciple is sitting across from him, looking down at the floor with an embarrassed flush.

"Sorry," the kid mumbles. Wen Ning waves him off. The chains connecting him to the Wen disciples sway, clinking ominously.

"My name is Lan ZhiHao," the kid introduces, "as a thanks, I'll help you deal with the Wens!" Wen Ning can't help but sigh at that, rolling his eyes at the kid. However, Lan ZhiHao seems determined to 'help' and there's little Wen Ning can do to stop him without putting him in danger.

* * *

The Wen Disciples he caught are released outside of the still-functional wards. They're unable to get back in and Wen Ning dedicates the rest of his time to damage control. It would be to simply keep Lan ZhiHao out of harm's way but the kid seems intent on getting himself killed in the Wen Sect's 'purge' of Cloud Recesses.

When everything's done and over with, Wen Ning leaves with the well wishes of Lan XiChen and Lan ZhiHua as well as a general feeling of success. He had done a lot of damage control in this entire event. The GusuLan Sect still suffered heavy losses but their library and younger disciples were saved, the sect leader is in marginally better condition, and Lan WangJi's leg wasn't snapped. Or if it was, Lan WangJi was an amazing actor. Which is actually very possible.

…Wen Ning feels significantly more unsure about that, now that he remembers Lan WangJi's admirable acting skills. They're not as good as Jin GuangYao's but then, few are.

And anyway, he did make a difference, and he can feel good about that, at least.


	9. Not Quite Done

Wen Ning doesn't know what the chains are. He doesn't know how he summons them, only that they make themselves known at great times. At first he had thought they had something to do with his emotions but even when he got extraordinarily annoyed- angry is a more apt term, to be entirely honest -at Wen Chao, he hadn't summoned the chains. Nor had he felt any inkling that he could summon them.

When he had been meditating in his room, however, they had fallen from his sleeves and coiled quite heavily in his lap. Getting rid of them had been significantly easier, since they disappeared on their own after a little bit.

He had debated bringing the problem to Wei WuXian, sure that the genius inventor and pioneer could help him but then he realized that would force him to explain his problem. In detail. This includes the fact that the chains came from the future with him, where he had been bound with them after he was captured. Then, since Wei WuxIan is curious and Wen Ning is really too loyal, the other boy would learn about his own death and revival as well as Wen Ning's undead state when he was pulled into the past.

Really, it would just be more trouble than it's worth. He'll just have to deal with it on his own.

* * *

"Wen Ning, what are you doing?" Wen Ning twitches, nearly releasing his arrow straight at Wen Chao, who had been the one to surprise him.

"Practicing my archery…?" He offers hesitantly. Wen Chao snorts.

"The targets are over there," Wen Chao says. "Unless you're shooting purposefully away from the targets to save yourself the embarrassment of missing horribly."

"Very kind of you," Wen Ning says dryly. "Some stunning praise, really." Wen Chao rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"I thought you hated me," Wen Ning says, taking his arrow away from the string. Wen Chao stiffens and his entire being seems to just get colder. Without another word, Wen Chao turns on his heel and stalks away. Wen Ning watches him go, confused. What was that all about?

* * *

"Hey, A-Qing?" Wen Ning asks suddenly, twisting around to look at his sister. She's eating now, after having gotten back late from healing some idiots that hurt themselves practicing. She hums, looking up from her food to give him a curious look.

"Has Wen Chao been acting strangely recently?" Wen Ning inquires, shifting to watch his sister more comfortably. Her brow furrows and she gives him an odd look.

"I hadn't really noticed. Now that you mention it, however, he does seem to have acting oddly since you brought him here drunk." Wen Ning nods at her words. It makes sense. After what Wen Ning had said, Wen Chao had rushed out of the house, looking quite pale. It was hilarious. His sister found it significantly less amusing. Afterwards, neither had seen Wen Chao for almost a month, perhaps longer. It was a strange occurrence- the boy generally sticks his nose in everything in an attempt to get others in trouble with his father. It was definitely a nice reprieve, however. Even now, they rarely see Wen Chao and this has been the first time the boy has spoken directly to him since that day. Wen Ning wonders how badly he scarred Wen Chao for the boy to be acting like this even now, so long after the events occured.

He decides it isn't actually important unless it somehow helps him rewrite history.

* * *

Wen Ning pauses at the archery field, watching curiously. Wen Chao is several feet away, with a bow in hand. He seems to be practicing his archery. Wen ZhuLiu is also on the field, watching both Wen Chao and himself. Wen Ning bows politely but makes no move to reveal his presence to Wen Chao. The other boy is… struggling. His archery is certainly lacking but whether that's due to some flaw in his stance or him not having enough strength is a tossup.

He watches for a few moments longer, itching to correct, to help, but eventually his sensical side wins out. He prefers his relative freedom and safety to whatever may be forced upon him should he insult Wen Chao, on purpose or not. He sighs, and turns away, leaving the training field once more. His place in the Wen Sect is just getting annoying now. He wishes he could just go live in Yunmeng for forever.

...oh. That's an idea. A very good idea if he says so himself. It might also stop or push back the destruction of Lotus Pier. Wen Ning grins, because now he has plans. Plans that have less of a consequence if he fails. And it's all thanks to Wen Chao taking over the archery field.

* * *

"You're rather close to my brother," Wen Xu says finally. Wen Ning keeps his eyes on the rapidly cooling cup of tea in front of him.

"I am…?" He pushes carefully. He has no idea how far he can push with Wen Xu. He never really interacted with the elder Wen brother in his past life, but he had been aware of the man's reputation in the Wen Sect. Fiercely overprotective of his family, completely content with causing mass harm to others in order to keep his father and brother happy. This worries Wen Ning greatly, since Wen Xu had been the one to approach him.

"You are," Wen Xu confirms. "It's good for Chao. He needs to have someone to push him to do better other than Father and myself."

"...And you believe I'm that person?"

"I believe that you did admirably when I forced you to take care of my drunk brother," Wen Xu returns. Wen Ning's breath shutters to a halt and he tenses. His hands tighten around his tea but he refuses to look up. Wen Xu continues before he's entirely recovered.

"If you don't treat my brother as someone of his station should be treated, I'll assume you know what will happen," Wen Xu says (read: threatens). "That being said, do try to keep him on his toes, if not outright happy." Wen Ning struggles to find words, too flummoxed by this increasingly strange turn of events. He dips his head in the approximation of a nod and then Wen Xu is gone and he's alone, confused and wary. However, a friendship with Wen Chao _could_ benefit his cause, if he utilizes it correctly. Keep the war from decimating all the sects it did or, better yet, keep the war from happening at all.

It's a distant chance but now it _is_ a chance, and that makes all the difference.


	10. Laughter in Slaughter

Wen Ning spots Wei WuXian and Jiang WanYin amongst the crowd of disciples and his heart clenches. He had been expecting them, of course, but he also knows what they'll be going through in a few days and that's simply not conducive to a calm mindset. He watches them gathers closely with the other Jiang disciples, of whom he recognizes Jiang Shu. Finally the group disperses. Or, well, spreads out a little. 'Disperses' is a bit much. Wei WuXian moves the farthest away, grouping up with an anxious-looking Nie HuaiSang. Jiang WanYin, on the other hand, stays near his disciples and glares at the other sects- mostly the Wen, of course -like their existence insults him personally. Wen Ning glances about to make sure no one's paying him any attention before slipping into the crowd to join up with his friends. Some of the disciples give him dirty looks as he passes but he ignores them, keeping his attention on his young master and the future Nie Sect Leader. He finally makes it to them, greeting them both immediately with a bow. They return, neither having quite caught up to his sudden appearance yet. Finally, Wei WuXian grins, slinging an arm across his shoulders. While he tenses a tad, he doesn't shy away like he might with virtually any other person. He trusts Wei WuXian, after all.

"So, Wen Ning, have any idea what's going on?" Wei WuXian inquires, taking the lead as always. A few nearby disciples within earshot turn towards them slightly. They're curious, and hiding it badly.

"Ah, no. My sister didn't say anything to me about it," he denies. "But it's probably just Wen Chao and, um, Sect Leader RouHan flaunting their strength." Nie HuaiSang rings his hands nervously, his arm bumping against his saber's handle with every movement. He clearly isn't used to wearing a sword and can likely hardly use it.

"You don't think-" Nie HuaiSang is cut off by the ever-irritated Wen Chao.

"Hey, you!" Wen Ning holds in a sigh and turns to face Wen Chao. The boy makes a motion clearly supposed to mean 'get out of there'. Wen Ning turns to Wei WuXian and Nie HuaiSang for a moment. He dips his head respectfully.

"Sorry. I've got to go now." Wei WuXian waves him off and Nie HuaiSang mumbles a good-bye and then Wen Ning is gone, making his way out from the crowd of disciples. He stands hesitantly at the edge of the crowd before making his choice. He moves away and closer to front where he could get a better view. He had missed this last time and was told Lan WangJi's reaction was rather amusing. Of course, this was told to him by a smitten Wei WuXian so who knows if it's true. The order to turn in their swords was given and a mutinous silence fell immediately. The edge of Wen Ning's lip twitches. Even the disciples that would usually hate each other have been brought together against a single sentence. It is amusing, in an odd way. Then the disciples erupt into disdainful murmurs and hissed rejections. Wei WuXian hands his sword in first, then Jiang WanYin and LAn WangJi. Wen Ning is a bit off-kilter. Admittedly, he had expected there to be more fight against the order. Nie HuaiSang hands in his saber almost happily. Then one of the guards reaches for Jin ZiXuan's sword and the trouble starts.

"The Jin Sect will not hand in our swords," Jin ZiXuan near-growls. "If you want swords, we will go with them." Wen Chao moves to do something- whether it's just to insult Jin ZiXuan or to, say, punch the peacock, Wen Ning couldn't say. All he knows is that he's got to diffuse the situation and the best way to do that is to get involved before Wen Chao can insult anyone too badly.

"If I may," He interjects, moving closer. Wen Chao shoots him a dark look but Wen Ning just blinks innocently. He tilts his head, waiting for his superior's answer. Wen Chao snorts but nods to give him permission to speak. Perhaps Wen Xu was correct, then. Wen Ning turns to Jin ZiXuan.

"Young Master Jin, this is a very useful practice. It allows you to grow and become capable of defending yourself even without your sword. It is a valuable learning experience that you should take advantage of." Most of what he just said was made up on the spot and for that, he's rather proud of himself.

"And when would I be without my sword?" Jin ZiXuan challenges with a snear. Wen Ning bites his lip. This time, it's less from nervousness and more to keep himself from laughing. He could say so many things to that and embarrass all the people here. It's tempting. It's oh so tempting. Alas, he isn't Wei WuXian and he has a Jin heir to convince.

"If you are unarmed by your opponent. Beyond that- if your opponent were to take you by surprise." Wen Ning reasons. Jin ZiXuan just scoffs.

"I'm never without my sword." Wen Ning clenches his jaw, shoving down both of his initial reactions. Wei WuXian seems to be having trouble with that and is covering his mouth to stop his laughter. Apparently they had both had the same reaction.

"If you continue to make excuses," Wen Ning manages, switching tactics. "Shall we assume the Jin Sect refuses to give up their swords in fear?" That gets an immediate response. Jin ZiXuan growls, actually growls, and shoves his sword into the chest of the guard that had originally come to take his sword.

"The Jin Sect isn't afraid." Jin ZiXuan says firmly. Wen Ning bows his head politely. Mostly to hide the grin he can't suppress anymore and partly to keep from making Jin ZiXuan any angrier. Wen Chao relaxes, looking almost disappointed he didn't have a chance to tell the peacock off. Wen Ning backs off, watching the proceedings to make sure there's not another problem but not really paying attention. It's not long before the Quintessence of Wens book is being handed out. Beyond a few remarks he barely catches, nothing more happens.

And so, the first day is over, thankfully.

* * *

Wen Ning rarely sees the disciples over the next few days, too busy helping his sister make medicine for those same disciples. Regardless of how Wen Chao treats them, even he understands that injured and exhausted disciples will be useless to them and so the siblings were assigned to their health. It isn't difficult work but it is time consuming and it makes him worry he won't be able to plan enough.

Of course, the day is upon him before he even notices and he has no time left to deliberate.


	11. A Problem and a Solution, Sort Of

Wen Ning follows the disciples docilely, his sister by his side. Wen Qing is talking softly to Lan WangJi, likely berating the boy for using a clearly broken leg. Or, clearly broken for those who know how to look for the signs. Officially, they're tagging along to gather natural growing herbs, which are supposedly more potent than the ones grown by people, and to heal the disciples should any problems arise. Unofficially, all of that is a lie and Wen Ning had actually begged his sister to get them a place on the night hunt. Wen Qing had tried to pry _why_ out of him but he's stubborn. More stubborn than Wen Qing had expected.

Then the ground disappears from under his foot and he shrieks as he slips into the dark tunnel. He manages to catch himself with his arms and dangles uselessly. There's nothing near him that he can use to pull himself back up. Wei WuXian, the person nearest to him at the moment, laughs and he flushes red. The other boy helps pull him up, his grin full of mirth.

"I think Wen Ning, ah, _stumbled_ across it," Wei WuXian calls. Wen Ning feels his face heat up even more and he ducks his head as if to hide from his embarrassment. It doesn't work. His sister pulls him away from Wei WuXian, checking him over with hardly a word.

"Any pain?" She asks when she's done with her quick evaluation. Wen Ning shakes his head. Beyond a few small scrapes on his arms, he's surprisingly unharmed. He turns back to the entrance to the cave, surprised to see ropes already in place for their descent. Some disciples had even already gone down. They had certainly moved quickly. It was almost frightening.

"Young Master Wen," his sister says, stopping Wen Chao before he can begin his descent.

"Yeah?"

"My brother and I will stay up here to search for herbs," Wen Qing explains. "We will stay in this area until you return."

"Whatever, I don't care." And with that, Wen Chao leaves the siblings behind. Wen Ning peers down into the cave, tempted to follow the disciples down. A look from his sister, however, has him moving away from the cave. He starts to search half-heartedly for herbs, holding in a sigh. It'll be a long few hours.

* * *

The Wen Sect disciples return alone, as Wen Ning had expected. It's unsurprising but that makes it no less horrid. Panic shoots through him like fire and he makes an aborted motion that brings him close to flinging himself into the cave, consequences be damned. His breath tightens in his chest but he forces himself to relax and move away from the cave. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi had survived once and any disciples killed were more from the Wens afterward than the Xuanyu. A twisted sort of miracle. Lan ZhiHao and Jiang Shu will need his help more than Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian, at least for now. Wen Chao orders his men to be on a look out and Wen Ning turns to disappear into the forest. He knows roughly where the second exit is. He gives thanks to whatever gods and goddesses are listening that Wei WuXian had loved to tell his stories so much. His sister catches him before he can go far.

"A-Ning, where-"

"We have to help them," Wen Ning interrupts quietly, ignoring the desperation in his voice. "Wen Chao will kill them." Wen Qing pauses, her eyes narrowing in that way that means she suspects something.

"A-Ning…"

"No time to explain now," He rushes. "Please, I'll tell you everything later, just please, I don't know who dies I need to- I need to make sure Lan ZhiHao and Jiang Shu- please A-Qing." His sister studies his face as he tries to calm himself, tries to tell himself everything will be alright, but he doesn't know who died at this point and Lan ZhiHao had already been too close to losing his life. Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian he has faith in to take care of themselves and each other. Lan ZhiHao is younger and Jiang Shu less powerful and Wen Ning is _panicking_ and this is really probably not good for his health-

"Alright." Wen Qing says quietly. Her voice cuts through his thoughts like a knife and it soothes him enough to think properly. Wen Ning nods, taking her by the wrist. There will undoubtedly be injured disciples and he'll need her help.

"We have to get to the river," he says firmly, leading her through the trees. "I don't know where the second exit was- _is_ -exactly, but I know it's rough location." His sister says nothing, merely letting him lead her along. At once, Wen Ning is grateful beyond words. He isn't sure he would be able to stop himself long enough to explain anything to her without collapsing. His love and appreciation and relief calm him slightly and he's no longer on the verge of having a complete mental breakdown but that could easily change. His hand slips down to squeeze his sister's and she squeezes back, still wordless. He'll try, for her and his new friends and his old friends and for the future, because that's all he can do.

* * *

It doesn't take as long as Wen Ning had expected for the first disciples to come into view. That being said, Wen Ning had about two hours to hunt down almost the exact location of the second exit. He was a bit too far upstream, regardless. He and his sister had also managed to keep the other Wen Disciples away from this area through deflection and small lies.

"Hey, Nie disciple!" He calls as loudly as he dares. The disciple stumbles around to face him, looking quite afraid. Wen Ning ignores it for the most part, jogging down to where the disciple had emerged. Already, a few others were dragging themselves from the water.

"My sister will look you over, make sure you'll survive long enough to get back to your sect," Wen Ning says, "If you're well enough, help me with the other disciples." The listening disciples nod quickly, each murmuring quietly to themselves. Wen Ning busies himself with pulling disciples from the water, checking them over and either sending them to the group of mostly-fine disciples or pushing them towards his sister. When he starts struggling a bit, the Nie disciple he had yelled at originally pulls him away, taking his spot with a Jin disciple at his side. Wen Ning smiles slightly before making his way over to his sister. She's not quite overwhelmed yet, but she's definitely getting to her limit.

"What can I do?" He asks when he gets to her side. She barely glances up.

"The ones over there," she motions to a separate group of disciples, "have less serious injuries." Wen Ning nods and bustles over to the disciples. Some are patching themselves up- badly, he'll need to fix that -but they look dead on their feet for the most part. He grabs a nearby Jin disciple when she starts swaying dangerously on her feet.

"Where are you hurt?" He asks immediately. Her golden robes are stained all over and still completely soaked through- it's impossible to tell where any visible blood is coming from or if it's even hers.

"Just- just my leg, I'm fine-" He doesn't wait for her to finish, already looping her arm around his neck and taking most of her weight. She hisses in pain and Wen Ning frowns as he carefully eases down into a sitting position. He peels back her clothes just enough to see the wound. He grimaces when he sees it. It's deep and still bleeding sluggishly. The swimming undoubtedly made it worse, and makes it highly likely the wound will get infected. He pulls a roll of bandages from his pack with a frown. It would be better to stitch but he doesn't have the time nor the resources. He has nothing to staunch the bleeding with either, a serious overlook on his part. Her wound isn't bleeding enough for her to bleed out, thankfully, or else he'd be in quite the difficult situation.

He quickly and carefully bandages her leg, using as little of the bandages as he could get away with. When he's done, he helps her over to a tree where she can sit more comfortably and where she's less likely to be accidentally jostled by the other disciples. He goes back to the other disciples before she can really talk to him beyond a quick thank you. There aren't very many injuries as bad as hers in his group, mostly sprains and breaks that he can't do very much for at the moment. That doesn't mean he doesn't try, and he lends some spiritual energy to those in a lot of pain or with hard to fix injuries to help with the healing process and to numb the wounds slightly.

"Wen Ning!" Wen Ning sits back from his last patient with a slight smile, turning to who had called him. It's Jiang Shu, Lan ZhiHao grinning by his side. There's another Lan disciple with them, half hidden behind Lan ZhiHao.

"Jiang Shu, Lan ZhiHao," he greets, relief flooding through him. "It's good to see that you're ok." And isn't that an understatement? He had driven himself to the verge of a panic attack several times worrying over the pair. Not that they will ever, ever, ever, know. Jiang Shu bounces over, Lan ZhiHao and the other disciple following at the more sedate pace all Lans are forced to adopt.

"This is my younger brother, Lan ZhiNa," Lan ZhiHao introduces. The boy says younger but they seem to be the same age. Probably twins and Lan ZhiHao is proud of being very slightly older.

"I'm Wen Ning, courtesy name Qionglin," Wen Ning returns with a bow, "please, call me Wen Ning." Lan ZhiNa bows back nervously, coming out from behind his significantly more confident brother.

"Only if you call me Lan Hu." The boy says firmly.

"And hey!" Lan ZhiHao cuts in, "if you call my brother by his given name, you've simply got to call me by mine! It's Lan Zai, so you know." Wen Ning bite his lip, fighting against his instinctual response to shy away.

"If you really insist…" He says hesitantly. Lan ZhiHao- Lan Zai grins.

"Of course!" Then the boy turns on Jiang Shu, who had been watching with amusement. "And you've got to call us by our given names as well. I mean, look at what we've lived through together? Clearly, it means we're destined to be great friends." Jiang Shu smiles a smile very similar to Wei WuXian's in that it's all mischief and scheming.

"Perhaps it means we're destined to be even closer than mere friends~" Lan Zai splutters and Wen Ning and Lan Hu turn marching shades of red at the implication. Lan Zai regains himself with remarkable grace with a look that clearly says he won't be outdone.

...Suddenly, Wen Ning fears for the GusuLan and YunmengJiang sects. With Wei WuXian being entirely shameless and infatuated with Lan WangJi (even if he doesn't yet realize it), and these two impulsive, just as shameless disciples, he feels like each sect may die out from embarrassment. He certainly will, at this rate.

Lan Zai and Jiang Shu continue to banter together, Wen Ning and Lan Hu brought closer out of shared embarrassment and exasperation. They move through the crowd of mixed disciples aimlessly, Jiang Shu and Lan Zai managing to turn several Lan disciples, and even a few Nie and Jin disciples, red. The Jiangs seem entirely desensitized, which is hardly surprising, now that he takes a moment to think about it.

Then, of course, he is pulled quite rudely from his reverie by an irate Jiang WanYin, Jin ZiXuan (surprisingly) by his side and Nis HuaiSang several steps behind.

"Wen Ning!" Jiang WanYin barks, voice harsh. Wen Ning jerks as if burned, turning towards the Jiang Sect's heir with a nervous expression.

"Ah- yes, Young Master Jiang?" He manages, stumbling over his words.

"You knew this was going to happen," the angry boy accuses, and the murmured conversation around them goes silent.

"I knew Wen Chao was likely to do something," Wen Ning admits, steadying himself. This was not the Jiang WanYin of his time, so angry and bitter it could hardly be contained by his mortal body. This is a much younger Jiang WanYin, simply worried and desperate.

"I had no idea this would happen, how could I?" He feels the weight of his sister's gaze on him, even from here, curious and wondering. He ignores it, for now. "I had a bad feeling, is all. I couldn't simply stand by." Jiang WanYin snarls, but doesn't push, instead whipping around to his sister, who has come forward to stand at the edge of the loose circle formed around them.

"Are my disciples all fit?" Jiang WanYin demands. Jin ZiXuan moves closer and Wen Ning shys away from the boy draped in golden silk.

"You know something," The Jin says softly, volatilely. His eyes flicker down, an admission that he curses himself for.

"How could he," Jiang Shu hisses at his side, careful not to draw Jiang WanYin's attention back to them. "Clearly, the Wens don't think very highly of him. And anyway, do you think Wen Chao would have deigned to inform anyone of his plans. Jin ZiXuan hardly glances at the Jiang disciple but the Lan twins step forward, silent supporting Wen Ning, and he finally turns away with a snort.

"Believe that all you want, I won't be the one killed after trusting a Wen-dog." The sect heir stalks away and Wen Ning watches silently, ignoring how the accusation and instant hatred burned at him. The words of a child should hardly matter to a man who died twice and lived thrice.

...That doesn't make it any more true, however.

Not long after the confrontation, a minute at most, Jiang Shu is called away. Jiang WanYin, assured of his disciples almost completely unharmed health, urged them at a breakneck pace away, clearly racing for his Sect Leader- for Wei WuXian's life. The Jin and Lan sects depart not much later, leaving Wen Ning with only his sister for company. Not that this is bad, of course. He does love his sister but… it's nice to spend time with friends. Even if it could have been under better circumstances. The Nie sect is the last to depart, yet they still aren't terribly far behind the other three. The veritable cloud of disciples was undoubtedly seen by the nearby Wens- Wen Ning and Wen Qing abandon the river quickly as well, disappearing into the forest and hiding their involvement in the disciples' escape. It's the most free Wen Ning has felt in ages, filled with exhilaration and adrenaline.

* * *

Wen Qing locks the door to their house and turns to Wen Ning with an expression that means precisely one thing- she wants answers, and she'll be getting them whether he wants to give them or not. Fortunately, he has already resigned himself to giving away his secrets to her.

"You won't believe me," Wen Ning says before she can, because it's true. Her face hardens, clearly insulted (and perhaps hurt, he has lost his ability to read her as well in the years he led a half-life without her) by his lack of faith.

"Perhaps you'll be so kind as to allow me to make that assessment," she says dryly, harsher than she has ever spoken to him. Wen Ning's breath shutters from his lungs, pulling words from his mouth without his consent. He tells her everything. Wen RouHan's, Wen Chao's, and Wen Xu's cruelty, their hatred. He tells about the tense years before the war. Of a bright young disciple named Wei WuXian. About how that same disciple became his first friend, without even realizing it. He tells of how they met again, about Wei WuXian hardly remembering him. He stumbles over the massacre of Lotus Pier, the words catching in his throat. He mentions Jiang WanYin losing his core almost in passing and chokes out Wei WiXian getting thrown into the Yiling Burial Grounds. He talks of how they help Wei WuXian recover, how Wen Qing gives Jiang WanYin Wei WuXian's golden core. He hesitates when he comes to his death, his breath shuttering and his eyes burning when he comes to Wen Qing's. He remembers how it felt to be returned to life, to a _half-life_. He talks of the Wen Remnants, of the siege against Wei WuXian, Wei WiXian's death. He talks about Wei WuXian's rebirth into the body of Mo XuanYu, of Wen Ning's return to consciousness, of three ever-so-sweet disciples, of Jin GuangYao's revealed corruption. He talks until his throat is raw and his eyes are red from crying.

He does not mention the years he spent in wavering seem-consciousness, at the mercy of Xue Yang and the Jin sect. He skips over the worst of it- over his unforgivable actions during the war, of his pain, of Wei WuXian's pain, of the horrors the war had brought that should have never even been a thought in anyone's mind. He glosses over Demonic Cultivation, describing it in only the most vague sense: Wei WuXian created it, Wen Ning was brought back with it, it changed the tide of the war. He does not mention the nightmares and visions and indescribable panic that follow him even now, years and years after these events had unfolded.

He sobs heartbrokenly when Wen Qing folds him into her grip, thankful for her comfort even if he can see the doubt lingering in the back of her gaze. Even this tentative belief is enough. It has to be enough or else he won't be able to do what he needs to do. He holds her back because even if his mind and soul are far older than she is, she will still be his most trusted and most loved elder sister and he will still be a younger brother always searching for comfort and approval.


	12. The Xuanyu of Slaughter

Wen Ning managed to force himself to wait for two entire days before his anxiety and flagging patience got the best of him. He sneaks out in the middle of the night because he had told his sister of the creature lurking in that cave and she would never let him go willingly. It takes hardly two minutes for him to get to the forest and over twice that time to figure out where the covered entrance to the cave might be. He thinks he's in the right place, the resentful energy certainly feels thick enough in the air. He pokes carefully around the clearing, looking for the disturbed earth that would give away the entrance. The first weak beams of light from the sun are peaking over the horizon by the time he finds it. From there, it's a simple matter to open the entrance enough for him to be able to get down. He tosses the end of the rope he brought down, tying the other end around a nearby tree. He climbs carefully down, more at ease when his feet hit solid ground once again. The cave is dark but he dares not light a fire. Besides, he forgot to bring a torch or anything that could be used as such. He moves as quietly as he can, as swiftly as he dares. Before long, he's in the main cavern, a pond and the Xuanyu of slaughter in front of him. He dodges around the edge of the cavern, keeping one eye on the Xuanyu and the other on the faint firelight he's heading towards.

Both Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian are asleep when he finds them, instinctively following their sleep cycles. Wen Ning moves closer to the dying fire, keeping it between him and Lan WangJi. He can't imagine the Lan will have a particularly good reaction to him, regardless of his part in the Burning of Cloud Recesses.

"Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian," He says quietly, reaching out to shake Wei WuXian with one hand. Lan WangJi blinks awake pretty quickly but it takes him a few insistent shakes to get Wei WuXian to even twitch.

"Wen," Lan WangJi says tensely. Wen Ning glances at him, offering a hesitant smile.

"Wen Ning, courtesy name QiongLin," He introduces as he finally gets Wei WuXian awake, "I would prefer you call me by my given name." It takes a moment for Wei WuXian to become lucid but he does, with a rather confused expression.

"Wen Ning? What-"

"Saving you," he interrupts. "And we should hurry. I don't fancy facing off with the Xuanyu." That gets the pair of them moving. Lan WangJi is limping but it seems more like some sprain or strain than an actual break- thank the heavens. Wei WuXian is in worse shape. The beginning of an infection is definitely spreading along the brand on his chest, just visible between the folds of his clothes. That will need to be looked at by Wen Qing, for sure. But first, escaping.

* * *

One of them tripped. He doesn't know who, it might have been him, it might have been one of the others, but the point is is that someone tripped and made enough noise that the Xuanyu of slaughter is decidedly Not Happy. They may have to deal with this before they can leave the cave.

"Lan WangJi," Wen Ning calls. The boy turns to him and he shoves Wei WuXian at him. "I'll distract- either get out or find a way to kill it but don't put yourself in any unneeded danger."

"Wen Ning!" Wei WuXian objects, horrified, but Wen Ning is already darting out from their hiding spot. He uses a fire talisman almost without thought, it coming as naturally to him as it would for any other Wen. They do have a propensity for heat and destruction and fire in general, after all. It's enough to draw the full attention of the Xuanyu. The creature is significantly faster than he expected- no matter, he can weave more easily through the stone obstacles of the cave. He has to draw the Xuanyu further from its shell so that the softer skin hidden by it will be exposed. It's the only thing he can think of that could possibly work-

A fire blazes to life, and the Xuanyu's attention is drawn away. Not for the first time, Wen Ning wants to curse Wei WuXian for his selflessness and self-sacrificing behavior. He had hoped Lan WangJi would put a stop to any stupid plans but he had forgotten one key detail. Lan WangJi could hardly deny Wei WuXian anything. Wen Ning lights another talisman and the Xuanyu's attention swings back around towards him. He darts toward the water because the next best thing to drawing it out of its shell is physically entering its shell. The Xuanyu chases determinedly, not even wavering when Wei WuXian lights another fire. Wen Ning is, after all, practically running into its open jaws. But then the creature's head jerks to the side and swings toward Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi.

…Wei WuXian is bleeding. The idiot made himself bleed just to distract the Xuanyu from Wen Ning.

Wen Ning won't reach them in time and they don't have swords.

Light glints off his chains as they shoot from his sleeves. One yanks the pair towards him, the others wrap so tightly around the Xuanyu's head and neck that it could hardly move.

"Wen Ning, Wen Ning," Wei WuXian says, his words stumbling into each other as he struggles to ask Wen Ning. Wen Ning bites his lip and ignores them, focused only on tightening the chains. The Xuanyu may be well protected, but even its skin will eventually give way under enough pressure. Finally, a sickening snap echoes through the chamber. The Xuanyu's body collapses, sending water flooding from the pond. A nicely timed talisman, courtesy of Wei WuXian, saves the trio from being soaked. His chain dematerializes a moment later and the head and neck of the Xuanyu drop lifelessly to the ground with a resounding _bam_.

"Wen Ning, what were the chains?" Wei WuXian asks after a moment of silence. Wen Ning glances back at the pair behind him, taking stock of their situation. Wei WuXian has a jagged cut on his hand, undoubtedly made with some sort of rock, but it has already stopped bleeding so the best thing would just be to get him back to Wen Qing where she can keep him from infection and stop his already growing infection. Beyond that, they seem no worse for wear than before the incident with the Xuanyu.

"I don't know," he replies honestly as he turns away to lead them from the cave. "They just… appear sometimes. Very useful, but it would be more convenient if I knew how to summon them…"

"Ah, ok then." And that's the end of that harrowing event.


	13. The Aftermath

"Do you know how worried I was?" Wen Qing growls, careful to keep her voice down. Wen Ning shrinks in on himself nervously but doesn't drop his eyes. He doesn't regret his actions- he knows Wen Qing would have never let him go through with it if he had told her even though she now knows he's from the future and significantly more skilled than she expects. He says as much in hesitant, stumbling words and she just gives him an unamused look. It's times like these, Wen Ning wishes a bit more of Wei WuXian's easy confidence and charisma had rubbed off on him. Even though he's mentally older (his soul is older as well, he'd guess) than his sister, she still makes him feel like a misbehaving little kid when she's angry.

"But Wen Qing," Wei WuXian breaks in, both to Wen Ning's relief and to his absolute horror. "We all came back safe and sound so no harm done, right?" Wen Qing turns her furious look on Wei WuXian, looking like she's one remark away from murdering him. Wen Ning immediately starts planning escape routes.

"No harm done?" She asks, her voice cold with anger. Wen Ning can see Wei WuXian stifle a flinch and even Lan WangJi is looking a tad uncomfortable, which is actually pretty impressive when he thinks about it. He tries not to think about it.

"Might I remind you that you have a _brand_ on your chest that is currently _infected_? And you, Lan," she continues, turning to the relatively unaffected-looking Lan WangJi. "_You_ were moving on a fractured ankle, and have undoubtedly made it twice as bad as it would have otherwise been. Yes, Wen Ning made it out fine but both of you made choices that _clearly_ weren't good for your health." Wei WuXian offers a hesitant smile. A very familiar smile. Wen Ning takes a moment to pray to any deity anywhere to give Wen Qing enough patience that she doesn't murder Wei WuXian, former (future?) Yiling Patriarch, for whatever stupid thing he's about to say.

"Awe, I didn't know you cared~" Wen Qing smiles a sweet smile and he has to hold back tears.

Wen Ning has significantly more respect for his sister after that, because she only knocked Wei WuXian out and didn't go straight to murder. Of course, he also fears greatly for Lan WangJi after the… ah… _warnings_ Wen Qing gave him. He's just everlastingly thankful no one died, in the actual event or the ensuing aftermath.


	14. Back to Normal, Give or Take

Wen Ning had pushed Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi into the single guest room he and his sister had (a room he had actually forgotten about, since they so rarely use it). Neither of the pair looked particularly excited about this, but Wen Ning is not going to sit around and watch Wei WuXian be hopelessly oblivious for the second or third life (depending on how you look at it) in a row. Then he had fled because the amount of sexual tension they have accumulated over the two day period they've been forced to stay in that guest bedroom to recover is absolutely stifling.

Of course, he had fled to the archery fields but now he's stuck with a very different problem. Wen Chao's new obsession with archery and his insistence to use these particular practice grounds. He's hitting only the edges of the targets but his arrows never go too far off- which is a miracle in and of itself, considering his horrid stance. To someone like Wen Ning who loves archery, it hurts his very soul to watch. Which is why he's lingering by Wen ZhuLiu's side, chewing on his lip as he debates a very bad idea with himself. Then, he remembers Wen Xu's words to him (and the threats, because those are worth remembering too) and screws up his courage. He moves to stand near Wen Chao, knocking an arrow as he aims carefully for a target.

"You should widen your stance," he offers softly, the twang of his bow following the words as he releases his arrow. Just slightly off-center but still a bullseye.

"I know how to use a bow," Wen Chao sneers.

"Of course, Young Master Wen," He agrees. He shoots another arrow, pretending not to see Wen Chao adjust his stance nor the glance that the boy sends to his own stance as a measurement.

* * *

Wen Ning steps in front of Lan WangJi, his eyes narrowed. Lan WangJi glares at him but he refuses to step aside.

"You are in Qishan and are easily recognizable as a Lan," he says. "Regardless of your skill or personal opinion, I'm not just going to let you wander the streets in broad daylight." It's another long moment before Lan WangJi acquiesces, moving away to stand near Wei WuXian. It's not that big of a shift in their relationship but Wen Ning will take any victory he can get. Of course, that doesn't mean he's going to be _nice_ about it, per say.

"So, have you kissed yet?" He asks innocently. He has to stop Wei WuXian from choking to death and endure Lan WangJi's surprisingly expressive glares but that makes him no less proud of himself.

* * *

"Their families are going to be looking for them." Wen Ning glances up at his sister, biting his lip. She's right, of course, but Jiang WanYin could hardly be at Lotus Pier yet. That's a long trip, even if he's rushing as quickly as he can. To top that, he's got disciples to keep out of trouble, which means he'll take even longer. He'll likely spend most of the time _getting_ to Lotus Pier, since the return trip should be faster. The Lans are out of the question- they're still dealing with Cloud Recesses having been burned down, even if Wen Ning ran some interference on that end.

"...You're right," he finally agrees. "But I don't know how we could get to Lotus Pier before Jiang Cheng started his return trip unless we teleport but a talisman for that distance for four people, or three if you'd rather not go, would take some time to set up and quite a bit of spiritual… energy… why are you giving me that look?" 'That look' meaning she's staring at him like he's either A. Lost his mind, or B. Somehow grown a second head.

"Teleportation talismans are rare and even so, we'd need to have one at Lotus Pier to teleport there," His sister says as if that's something that's widely known.

…Now that he thinks about it, it probably is.

"Ah, sorry… Wei WuXian developed a better version of the talisman after he was revived and teleportation talismans in general had become more readily produced…" Wen Qing sighs long and hard, pinching the bridge on her nose. She stays quiet just long enough to make Wen Ning fidget before she drops her hand to look at him.

"Can you recreate the talisman?" Wen Ning blinks. He… hadn't thought of that.

"Um, maybe? I'm not sure I could do it fast enough, but I could try-"

"Get Wei WuXian to help you. He did it once, even if it was in the future. He can do it again."

* * *

"Hey yeah what in the _world_ is this?" Wen Ning groans, pressing his face more firmly into his hands.

"It's a mistake," He mumbles, shifting to press his palms into his eyes hard enough to make him see spots.

"Are… are you ok?" Wei WuXian asks hesitantly.

"No," He says truthfully. "Not really. I just… I'm powerless to change the bad things I know are going to happen." He lifts his head, looking out over the mess he's made trying to figure out Wei WuXian's own teleportation talisman.

"Every time I think I can change something or do something to help, something stands in my way or it backfires disastrously. Sometimes I think it would be better if I didn't remember-" He cuts himself off, coming out of his self-pity enough to realize he's said too much to the wrong person. If anyone could figure it out with the clues he just dropped, it would be Wei WuXian. He turns to his former (future- if ever) young master, takes in his worried, curious, and confused expression before pushing it to the back of his mind. He shouldn't be having a panic attack over every small inconvenience anyway, it won't help anything.

"Sorry. Forget what I just said," He says, because _that_ certainly won't make Wei WuXian any more curious. "If I were to tell you I'm working on a teleportation talisman that would let you teleport anywhere, even if you didn't have an anchor there, could you help me?"

* * *

A full day and they had managed to create a working talisman. Likely the only reason they made it so quickly was because Wen Ning knew how to make most of it, with a few spots where Wei WuXian had to step in and help, most notably actually figuring out how to get the thing to _work_.

And that's how they got here, all four of them staring in concern at the rather messy looking talisman. Wen Qing's doubt is almost palpable and while Lan WangJi _looks_ fine with it, he also hasn't come within four feet of the talisman so that's a bit of a tossup.

"Are you sure that's… safe?" Wen Qing asks, rocking back on her heels and furrowing her brows, Wei WuXian- Wei Ying, as he consistently insists, waves her concerns off.

"It's entirely fine. And it's keyed in specifically to me so I should be able to choose our exact location," he pauses and tilts his head. "We should at least land in Lotus Pier, if not a more specific location." Wen Qing sighs.

"I suppose we should trust it's creator."Then, without warning, she moves surprisingly quickly, grabbing Lan WangJi and forcing him into the tight circle that they've now made around the talisman. He looks supremely uncomfortable.

"Now what?" Wen Qing asks.

"Well, you need to be in contact with either the talisman or someone holding the talisman so…" Wen Ning reaches out and pulls his sister to him, simultaneously pushing Lan WangJi into Wei Ying's awaiting arms. Before anyone can protest his divisions, he shoves the talisman half into Wei Ying's hand, keeping careful contact with his own side. Then, with a brilliant flash of light, they disappear from Qishan…

…And land smack on Jiang WanYin, in front of Jiang Fengmian and Madame Yu. The four of the scatter, Wei Ying yelping and Wen Ning wincing when he gets an elbow- Jiang WanYin's, he believes -in his stomach. He ends up face down, out of breath and feeling like maybe he should just let himself die here. Let nature reclaim him, because he'll never be able to get over the embarrassment of dropping out of midair just to flatten Jiang WanYin on appearance. Someone rolls him over and he wheezes as air rushes back into his lungs.

"You alive?" Jiang WanYin asks curiously, leaning over him. He groans, but that seems to be a good enough answer for the future sect lead because he's then grabbed by his wrist and pulled forcibly to his feet. Before he's even entirely stable, he's already whirling around to face Jiang FengMian and Madame Yu- mostly Madame Yu if we're being entirely honest, she's a terrifying woman -in a bow with his hands cupped in front of him.

"This disciple apologizes for the sudden appearance, we weren't expecting the talisman to teleport us here."


	15. Back in Lotus Pier

"How did you know about the XuanYu before you went into the cave?" Madame Yu interrupts coldy, making Wen Ning stumble over his words before falling into an uneasy quiet. If he seriously just gave himself because of a stupid mistake, he might just throw himself into self-isolation.

"What do you mean?" He asks cautiously, realizing a tad too late that his tone would only solidify Madame Yu's suspicions, whatever they are. He tries for a more innocent look but he thinks it might have come out a bit desperate.

"The way you spoke implied you knew of the creature's existence before you saw it," she narrows her eyes and Wen Ning feels more like prey than he's felt since before he died. "The only reason I can think of for this would be that you were told of it beforehand and yet you still let my son and my disciples enter the cave without even a warning." Wen Ning bites his lip because he knows she's right, that he could have handled the situation better, allowed the entire thing to have a better outcome and he certainly doesn't need reminders of his own failings. For a moment, the weight of the truth seems almost too much, like it's crushing and strangling him and he wants nothing more than to tell it to these people who he may not trust to do well by him but he trusts to do well by the cultivation world. Then, the moment is gone, and he can breath again.

"It's true, Madame Yu, that I had an idea of the creature before they went in. However, I knew that any movement on my part would have drawn Wen Chao's notice and while I loathed to let them walk into the cave unarmed, I didn't wish to bring the hatred and cruelty of the Wens down fully onto them. There would have been no hope for their survival, then." It's a haphazard explanation, more lies and half-truths than anything else. If the people at this table, those who share some of the worst fates and those he grew to trust more than anyone, are to push, he's not sure he'll be able to convince himself to keep the secret.

"You feared humans over an ancient beast thought to be unbeatable?" Madame Yu sneers. Wen Ning narrows his eyes, clenching his fists.

"I had faith in the disciples. Yes, some would die. That was unavoidable, no matter how much I wished it was, but dying to the Xuanyu of Slaughter was a far better fate then ending in the hands of Wen Chao and Wen Xu or, heaven forbid, Wen RouHan. I don't know if you have ever known anyone who ended up at the mercy of Sect Leader RouHan's _hospitality,_ but I have. Those that survive, few and far between as they are, are broken things. Hardly human, through no fault of their own. They go through tortures you can hardly imagine, are forced to live through and do things that warp and break their soul. I would not wish that fate upon anyone. Not even Wen RouHan himself, for All his savagery." The air is heavy when he finishes, pressing in around him. It's oddly freeing. Then, with a sharp pang, he realizes why. The air itself is darker in a way, coated in resentful energy. Wen Ning twitches away from Madame Yu slightly, snapping his eyes down to the table to horror. In seconds, the resentful energy has faded and dispersed. His skin, several shades grey-er than usual, starts to regain a healthy pallor.

What ever brought him to the past didn't do it quite right, and now he has to suffer the consequences.

The consequences end up being made up of suffering through the rest of the awkward dinner and through the looks everyone keeps shooting him. Well, everyone except Lan WangJi, who doesn't appear to have been at all affected by the… conversation nor the ensuing awkwardness. That man may be perfect physically, at least according to Wei WuXian's very loud opinions, but he needs some help, emotionally.

* * *

Lan WangJi leaves as early as he can the next morning. Which isn't actually that early because he needs to wait for his hosts to wake up, then he has to eat breakfast, then he needs to wait and around and get threatened by Wen Qing while she's telling him how to properly take care of himself, _then_ Wen Ning makes a few subtle innuendos about him and Wei WuXian that, thank every god and goddess ever, only those of the younger generation catch. Really, Lan WangJi doesn't get going till midday. If that. Then Wen Ning realizes he's stuck with the most terrifying people alive, not including Nie MingJue, and he realizes he's made a grave mistake.

* * *

"You're different." Wen Ning looks up in surprise at the words, tilting his head curiously at the words. They've gotten a moment of quiet, something that Wen Ning is finding very rare here in Lotus Pier. Wen Ning took the chance to plan his next move which is something along 'hunt down Meng Yao' right now. That means going up to Nie territory and if he's going that way, he might as well stop at the LanLingJin Sect, which is more or less on the way.

"What do you mean?" He asks, because he doesn't think he's been acting any differently than usual. His sister says nothing for a moment, an indescribable emotion in her eyes. Wen Ning turns to face his sister fully, waiting expectantly.

"You're… more sure of yourself," Wen Qing says, "and recently, I think you've been happier. You were so sad when you first… I'm surprised that I didn't realize sooner." Wen Ning sighs, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. Despite everything, all the pain and sorrow, he had enjoyed his first life. Wei Ying had been a good friend and the children he adopted, whether knowingly or not, had been kind and fun. Lan WangJi and he never quite connected but they got along well enough. He had had a family, the broken haphazard thing that it was.

"Life does that to you," Wen Ning says quietly. "If you stay stagnant, you won't survive. Particularly not a time of war." A hand cups his cheek and he presses into it, letting his eyes slide closed.

"You're going to have your happy ending," Wen Qing says firmly. She can't promise something like that, particularly with the changes he's already made, but she sounds so sure of herself and Wen Ning can't help but let himself believe. Things will be better, this time. He'll have his family and it won't be… quite so broken.

* * *

"...What are they doing?"

"Establishing dominance."

"Should we… stop them?" Wei Ying doesn't answer right away, instead staring at Jiang WanYin and Wen Qing. They seem to be having a screaming competition of sorts. Wen Ning is scared, and confused, and he honestly sort of regrets ever letting his sister come to Lotus Pier. Between her friendship with Madame Yu and her rivalry with Jiang Cheng, it's a wonder no one's died. Knock on wood.

"No," Wei Ying finally replies. "I want to see who wins."

Wen Qing does, in the end, and she looks very smug about herself. Jiang Cheng looks significantly less happy about this turn of events and Wen Ning wonders what atrocious sin he committed in his past life (or… the life before the past one?) to be tortured like this.

* * *

They stay another week before they leave. Both in different directions because Wen Qing needs to return to Sect Leader RouHan's side and Wen Ning really needs to do something about Meng Yao. Hopefully _before_ the boy leaves for LanLingJin but he doesn't really know when that happens. If it's already happened, Wen Ning has _no idea_ how he's going to track Meng Yao down or how he's going to keep the boy from turning into the man that ruined so many lives in the future.

But hey, one day at a time, right?


	16. Taveling to LanLingJin

Wen Ning isn't lost, just don't ask him how he ended up in GusuLAn sect territory. He doesn't know either. It was probably Wen Chao's fault. Somehow. That's what he's going with and he isn't changing it. Now he's just got to convince the cackling (_cackling_! GusuLan disciples are supposed to be _better than that!_) disciples that he very definitely wasn't lost. He knows that GusuLan isn't exactly on the way to the QingHeNie sect but he was going the long way. Entirely on purpose, too. The disciples don't believe him.

He doesn't believe him either, but at least he's being polite about it. The disciples are just laughing at him meanly. He thinks he'll tell Lan WangJi on them. Maybe. Sometime. As soon as he actually manages to get Lan WangJi to stop being suspicious of him. The disciples just laugh more.

* * *

Apparently, Wen Ning is highly likeable. Lan Zai and Lan Hu have decided to tag along on his self-proclaimed mission with an older disciple by the name of Lan Jin who flat out refused to give him her courtesy name. Apparently, Lan Jin is well known in Cloud Recesses for having an odd hatred for courtesy names. It's not the strangest thing Wen Ning has ever come across (he had been a _walking, talking, living corpse_ at one point because of a man with either the worst or best luck, depending on the time of day, the tide, and whether Nie MingJue has had tea yet or not) but it's certainly out of the ordinary.

Lan Jin is sweet and kind or completely terrifying and there's no inbetween. In fact, that's probably the reason she gets away with not using courtesy names in a place as strict as cloud recesses. She can control the monster known as Lan Zai. He and Lan Hu generally try to avoid the squabbling pair but it's very hard. Particularly when it strikes Wen Ning that Lan Zai is _flirting_ with Lan Jin. He is very scared. Lan Hu also looks very scared. This is not because Lan Zai is flirting but rather because _Lan Jin is starting to return the favour_.

* * *

"So when's the wedding?" Wen Ning chokes, snapping his head around to stare at Lan Hu. To his surprise, instead of immediately taking the idea and running with it, Lan Zai turns bright red and starts spluttering out sounds that may have been words at one point but also might just be Lan Zai dying. Lan Jin, however, looks almost entirely unaffected beyond a slight pink tinge.

"We were planning on a double wedding with you and Wen Ning," Lan Jin reaches out and drags Lan Zai into a threateningly affectionate hold, "weren't we, lăo gong?" Lan Zai goes even redder, looking entirely smitten. Wen Ning also goes redder but he feels significantly less smitten than Lan Zai.

"I hate you," Lan Hu complains. Lan Jin flashes a smile that is anything but nice.

"You started it."

* * *

Lan Jin groans, flopping onto the ground like she's been killed. Lan Zai and Lan Hu are in near the same condition, leaning heavily against each other at the base of a nearby tree. Wen Ning is in much better condition and he's surprised that Cultivators, particularly those from _GusuLan_, could be so out of breath after such a short sprint.

"Why… aren't we… using o

ur… swords?" Lan Jin asks between pants. Wen Ning hums.

"Well, I don't have one and I'm used to traveling everywhere by foot." Or tree, since he can move across the branches like a squirrel. A talent he only realized he had when he needed to follow Wei Ying without alerting the disciples his master adopted. Not that Wei Ying would _admit_ to adopting them, beyond Lan SiZhui, of course. Lan Jin groans again.

"I can't imagine not being able to fly on my sword. How do you do, oh Great Master Wen?" Wen Ning's lips twitch into a smile.

"Well, my loyal disciple, it's really quite simple… I stay in shape." Lan Zai gasps in offense, twisting to glare at Wen Ning. The boy can't quite stifle his grin, though.

"Are you implying that we _aren't_ in shape, Great Master Wen?" Lan Zai asks, pulling his lips down into an admittedly cute pout.

"I'm not implying anything," Wen Ning returns innocently. "I can't control what you infer from my words."

"So rude, Great Master Wen," Lan Hu murmurs, shooting Wen Ning a smile. "Now everyone shut up. I'm going to faint from exhaustion and you better not disturb me."

"Yes, Lan Hu," they chorus, having already learned their lesson when it comes to Lan Hu and his sleep. In short: disturb him and die.

* * *

They reach their destination midday, when all of them are about dead on their feet due to heat. The Lan brothers drag them into the first inn they see, pay for three rooms, and are fast asleep on a single bed in only a few minutes. Wen Ning is confused and a bit amazed at both the speed with which they moved and how quickly they managed to fall asleep, especially with how tangled up with each other they are. Lan Jin just looks exasperated.

"Will you be stopping for a rest as well, Wen Ning?" Lan Jin asks curiously. He shakes his head.

"I was planning on informing Jing GuangShan of our arrival. You can come with me, if you'd like, or stay here with the boys.' Lan Jin stares at him for a long moment, considering, before she snorts.

"I'll go with you. LanLingJin cultivators won't take the presence of a Wen Sect disciple well, no offense. If I come with you, perhaps they'll be less likely to stab you," Lan Jin says blandly. Wen Ning offers her a thankful smile.

"I take no offence. I understand that my sect isn't the… _kindest_ of sects. Though I do hope they won't go so far as to attempt a stabbing…"

* * *

"Sect Leader GuangShan. This one came to you to inform you of his staying in your territory. This one is in the company of three GusuLan Sect Disciples."

"And what might you be doing here?"

"This one is searching for someone."

"Under the orders of Wen RouHan, I presume?"

"...No. He is… unaware of this one's actions."

"Hmm. Interesting. Who are you searching for?"

"Meng Yao."

"I have never heard of such a person."

"This one apologizes for wasting Sect Leader GuangShan's time."

* * *

Lan Jin holds her questions for an admirably long time. By that, he means she drags him into the first semi-private area she spots when they're released.

"I didn't know you're looking for someone." Is the first thing out of her mouth. More a demand than any sort of question. Wen Ning shrugs.

"You hadn't ever asked and I didn't want to drag you into the mess I'm planning. Besides, I know who I'm looking for and I know where I can find him. The LanLingJin Sect was my second guess," he explains quietly. She deserves at least part of the truth since she and the brothers had accompanied him so far of their own volition. So, he'll answer her questions, as long as they don't require any time travel related explanations. Lan Jin sighs.

"So. Meng Yao."

"One of Jin GuangShan's many children," he says in an instant. "Incredibly intelligent, if a bit weak physically. I'm hoping he can help me." And I, him, before he goes too far to save. Lan Jin nods along. It's not particularly surprising information, so Wen Ning can understand the easy acceptance. After all, there are almost more children of Jin GuangShan than fish in the sea. It's rather concerning, actually. How many people have made the same mistake as Jin GuangYao and fell in love with a half-sibling? Wen Ning shutters to think of the answer.

"And the plan you mentioned?" Wen Ning offers a hesitant smile.

"I would prefer to explain it as few times as possible, if you'd be willing to wait until we meet Meng Yao?" Lan Jin spends a long, heart-pounding moment scrutinizing him. Then she nods and the relief crashes into him like a physical blow. He really hadn't expected to get so attached to people he had never known in his first go around.

"I suppose I can wait, then," she agrees. Wen Ning gives her another smile, this one admittedly stronger and more real than the last. He has allies, even if they're not entirely who he expected them to be.

When they get back to the brother and the pair wake themselves up, Wen Ning expects Lan Jin to tell them what she just learned. She doesn't and Wen Ning keeps quiet as well. He'll bask in the easy companionship of the pair and then he'll risk it all when they find Meng Yao, all for the hope of a better future than the one he left behind.


	17. Meng Yao

It doesn't seem to take as long to get from LanLinJin to QingHeNie as it did to get from YunmengJiang to LanLinJin. This is probably because he didn't detour into the wrong sect's territory like he did with GusuLan and the much more serious attitude Lan Jin has. Not that the travel was completely uncomfortable- the brothers diffused the tension without batting an eye.

Even with the faster pace, it still takes them several days to traverse the route on foot. Lan Zai complains that they should just fly but the others agree with Wen Ning that it would probably only slow them down. Lan Zai is still convinced that he could _easily_ carry Wen Ning.

Wen Ning is not convinced.

* * *

The first person they find of any importance is, surprisingly, Nie Huaisang. The Sect heir is accompanied by a disciple Wen Ning doesn't believe he's met before, in this life or the last. He's kind enough to show them to first an inn, where they rent a room for a few nights, and then to Nie MingJue.

Nie MingJue, who is _just_ as terrifying as Wen Ning remembers, even if he had really only interacted with the man's fierce corpse. He does let them speak with Meng Yao, though, so that's good. Even if he and Nie Huaisang and Nie Huaisang's bodyguard-maybe-also-boyfriend will be supervising.

* * *

"Hello Meng Yao," Wen Ning says politely. After all- when in doubt, be polite so that nobody finds a reason to stab-or-otherwise-maim you!

"Hello," Meng Yao returns, just as polite. "Do I know you?"

"Uhm- no, not really," Wen Ning says, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "I'm Wen Qionglin and these are Lan Jin, Lan ZhiNa, and Lan ZhiHao. I actually wanted to talk with you about something of- of a fair amount of importance."

"Ah, ok. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"How would you feel about helping me plan a coup against Wen RouHan?" He might rush through the words a little. It's not his fault, ok! He's just… a little nervous. He's definitely not at all scared that this was all a mistake and that someone is going to inform Wen RouHan of his plan and he's going to get killed and then all of this would have been for nothing and-

Breath. Right.

"What?" Meng Yao says, blindsided. It's echoed, if not verbally then _spiritually_, by the others in the room.

* * *

Wen Ning manages to explain his plan, as broken and not-at-all working as it is, to everyone well enough that they understand what he's saying. He also heavily implies that if they _don't_ plan a coup or some other way to kill Wen RouHan, the man is going to enact war on every single sect.

He'd win too, if this Wei Ying doesn't follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and cultivate Demonic Energy.

Everyone is suitably convinced and Nie MingJue nearly orders Meng Yao to help, not that he needs much convincing.

All in all, it works out surprisingly well. Even Jin Lin stops being grumpy with him! It's great. He's so proud.


End file.
